Northrop using AM to efficiently make coldplates, cable clamps, more August 10, 2017 How do manufacturers love additive manufacturing (AM)? Bianca Lankford, a mechanical engineer at Northrop Grumman, can count the ways: antennas, brackets, clamps, coldplates, ducts, plenums and test fixtures.
Zooming ahead in data-management tool adoption August 15, 2017 Manufacturers of many stripes can save money just by making better use of data emanating from the factory floor. But for those in aerospace and defense—Airbus Helicopters is a prime example—the potential payoffs are legion.
More US funds needed to address workforce skills gap August 17, 2017 A strong manufacturing ecosystem that includes manufacturing engineering education is critical to ensuring the future vitality and innovation of manufacturing initiatives in the US. So it was welcome news to learn that the DOD is developing a new manufacturing engineering education (MEE) grant program, authorized by Congress with initial funding of $10 million for fiscal 2017.
Mazak iSMART Factory Initiative Spreads to Japan Plant July 13, 2017 Mazak Corp. (Florence, KY) continues its steady advance toward the complete factory digitization of all its manufacturing operations with the recent transformation of its Oguchi, Japan, facility into yet another Mazak iSMART Factory.
Siemens Partners with Singapore to Establish Digitalization Hub July 13, 2017 To address the growing opportunities in urbanization and in Asia, Siemens will be setting up a Digitalization Hub in Singapore. At this Hub, Siemens will develop innovations for the Internet of Things (IoT) and Industrie 4.0 in collaboration with its customers in Southeast Asia.
In praise of apprenticeships and robotics ‘roadmaps’ July 12, 2017 All the hand-wringing around robotics and jobs in the US really needs to stop. It’s astounding that manufacturers here are still fighting this battle.
Five signs companies aren’t fully maximizing AM’s potential July 18, 2017 With additive manufacturing (AM) as an established part of many companies’ product development and manufacturing processes, there has been a greater understanding of the technology’s technical and business advantages. With that, more users are benefitting from lighter and more durable parts, increased design freedom and on-demand part production.
Use-based maintenance beats alternatives hands down July 18, 2017 Unplanned downtime and production loss due to equipment failure is one of the leading losses for manufacturers. Most shops perform maintenance on a fixed schedule or on failure. This means a machine will be maintained regardless of how often it is used and unexpected breakdowns will stop production.
Simulating is Believing June 12, 2017 Simulation tools are making it much easier for manufacturers to optimize their processes, visualizing the entire path of production from NC metalcutting simulations through 3D design and factory-floor imaging.
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